Endorsement: Dave Min should replace Katie Porter in the 47th Congressional District
The 47th Congressional District in Orange County belongs to Democrats right now. But with Rep. Katie Porter (D-Irvine) running for the U.S. Senate rather than reelection, the race is more of a toss-up.
That’s a troubling notion. Aside from legitimate fears of what could happen to civil rights, basic social services and democracy if the GOP gains more seats in the House of Representatives, the leading Republican running for the seat, Scott Baugh, is out of touch with the district. The area was once solidly Republican but has been shifting leftward in recent years and is now a swing district with a mix of views, encompassing the coast from Laguna Beach to Seal Beach, as well as Costa Mesa and Irvine.
While the presidential contest will garner the most attention in 2024, there are many important races and measures on state and local ballots.
Baugh is a former state assemblyman who ran unsuccessfully for Congress twice. That included 2022, when he lost to Porter. His belief that there should be a federal law restricting abortion rights is out of keeping with voters’ values — and with the rights of women to have autonomy over their own bodies. He opposed the federal Respect for Marriage Act, which was signed into law in 2022 and codified the right for same-sex and interracial couples to marry, and he opposes banning assault weapons.
He recently said that “wokism” was more of a threat to religious freedom than both world wars; perhaps if he had lived through the Holocaust, he would know better. In the 1990s, he faced federal felony charges over campaign finance violations; those were later reduced to civil violations for which he paid close to $50,000.
Nine other people are seeking the seat in the March primary, including two locally prominent Democrats: state Sen. Dave Min (D-Irvine) and Joanna Weiss, an attorney and founder of a social- and political-action nonprofit, Women for American Values and Ethics.
“Modestly partisan Republicans” in Orange County may be pivotal in deciding hotly contested congressional races that could decide which party controls the House.
The platforms of Min and Weiss are similar — both intend to protect a woman’s right to abortion at the federal level and say they are ready to battle climate change, work toward immigration reform and push sensible gun regulation. The difference is in their leadership skills, legislative experience and ability to achieve results and communicate a sense of cooperation.
Min, an affable lawmaker who has authored successful bills on the environment and guns, has the clear advantage here. Before his political career, Min was, like Porter (who has endorsed his candidacy), a professor at UC Irvine law school. And like Porter, he should be elected to represent the 47th District.
Min has not introduced as many bills as some of his colleagues during his three years in Sacramento, but he has authored bills on important issues. One bill, now under consideration, would set up a system for phasing out offshore oil and gas drilling in state waters. Another, signed into law in 2022, bans gun and ammunition sales on state-owned land.
The Times’ editorial page will begin publishing its endorsements for the March 5 ballot this week. There’s a lot more than just the presidential primary.
There is one trouble spot in Min’s history, which Weiss is already using in her campaign: He was arrested last May on suspicion of drunk driving in Sacramento and later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor. Min was pulled over after he stopped at a red light to check cross-traffic, but then proceeded through the intersection while the light was still red and with his headlights off.
It wasn’t a trivial incident, but to his credit, Min never treated it that way. He immediately made a straightforward public statement about his arrest and apologized. He didn’t try to make excuses or pretend that the arrest was unfair, overblown or an attack on liberalism. He has completed court-ordered community service and says that although he never had a problem with alcohol, he immediately stopped drinking. Too many political events — that’s where he was drinking before the arrest — are alcohol-infused, he said. He also, of his own accord, entered into therapy. More politicians who err badly should follow his example.
Min inspires confidence that he won’t repeat the mistake — and that he would be an excellent member of Congress.
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